BAGUIO CITY A City Local Blood Council (CLBC) to boost the voluntary blood service program in the city

y will soon be established here. The city council is present studying a proposed ordinance authored by Councilor Erdolfo Balajadia for this purpose. Balajadia said the CLBC creation is pursuant to Department of Health (DOH) Administrative Order No. 2010-0002 dated 7 January 2010 requiring every region, province and highly urbanized cities to establish and operate a Local Blood Council (LBC) to Support the Implementation of the National Voluntary Blood Service Program (NVBSP) for Blood Safety and Adequacy, Quality Care and Patient Safety. Balajadia said this will complement the current programs of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) which in the city is pursuing the Red Cross 143 Project in its aim to have quality and safe blood available at all times. He said the project needs to be sustained because of the need of the population which, based on the information from the Office of the City Welfare Services Development Organization (OCWSDO), reveals that 11 percent of the 300,000 total populations of Baguio City and Benguet Province are considered indigent. As proposed the structural organization of the CLBC shall be based on a membership of representatives of various community sectors such as Local Government Units (LGU), Hospitals, PRC, Health Professional Associations, Schools, Military and Police Establishments, Civic/Religious Organizations, Mass Media, etc. The CLBC shall be organized as a non-profit, non-government, multi-sectoral group with members coming from the government and private sectors of the local community committed to support the blood program by planning and implementing a local blood donation program (LBDP) in accordance to Department of Health (DOH) policies and guidelines thereby, the measure noted. As proposed, the CLBC will plan, organize and coordinate the implementation of a local voluntary blood donation program among local government and non- government organizations, companies, religious and civic action groups, and universities on a monthly basis, wherein it is aimed in ensuring adequate supply of safe blood for the community. It will also ensure adequate supply of blood through promotion of voluntary blood donation, mobilize human resources/facilities/financial support for local public education and in addition, donor recruitment programs, organize mobile/mass blood donation (MBD) activities in coordination with authorized Blood Collection Units (BCU) within the City of Baguio, and assist the local blood services network in public education; donor recruitment; organization/conduct of mobile/ mass blood donation (MBD) activities; and provision of human and financial resources. The measure will be tackled by the city council on second reading soon.

MISSION
To enact ordinances, approve resolutions and appropriate funds for the general welfare of the City and its inhabitants.

VISION
We envision quality legislation reflective of the aspiration of the people for a better quality of life in a clean and green environment.

Arysta clones still dupe clients despite DTI alert by Rimaliza Opia

The Department of Trade and Industry imposed a P300,000 administrative fine and recommended to the City Treasurers Office, through the Permits and Licensure Division, the closure of Arysta Marketing for dubious marketing strategies. The fine, however, has not been served because Arysta closed shop before the agency could implement the order, DTI Baguio-Benguet Legal Counsel Samuel Gallardo said at the city council, Monday. Gallardo, other officials of the DTI, Asst. City Treasurer Alicia Onoza, representatives of IHome, and a certain Shane Balong, a complainant who became a victim of a marketing scheme similar to Arysta, appeared before the council complaining about the scheme. Onoza said the city government was also supposed to close Arystas office at the Porta Vaga building but before the city could issue a closure order, its manager, Catherine Loh surrendered their business permit. A few weeks after, a new business opened at the same address this time with the business name I-Home. It reportedly employs the same marketing scheme with that of Arysta. Personnel reportedly offer freebies along the streets or make random telephone calls and invite unsuspecting customers to their offices to redeem the free tokens. There, clients are made to sit on a massager and are asked if they have credit or debit cards. Employees also claim to have ties with telecommunication companies like Globe, Smart, and Philippine Long Distance Company. Narrating her recent experience, Balong told the council, being a member of any of these telecommunication companies entitles a client to one point, which corresponds to a discount to appliances they sell. Balong said while seated at the massager, a group of people pretending to be clients in the store surrounded her and began cheering while other I-Home employees began swiping her debit card. While she was told she could buy the appliances at discounted prices, Balong said that when she brought them home, she realized she was not satisfied and was merely swayed to buy. She got her money back and returned the appliances after complaining at the DTI. Balong decided to tell the council her experience and come out in media to warn others about the scheme. Representatives of I-Home denied using procedures that tends to force a client to buy from them. I-Home supervisor Rene Lopez said that the promotional items they give are absolutely free and that items that clients feel do not satisfy them, may be returned.

In the end its the client who decides if they want to buy. Meanwhile, the council adopted three resolutions concerning the operation of businesses with the same scheme as that of Arysta. Aside from I-Home, the CTO will conduct a parallel investigation of Homesonic and Hilton. Gallardo said the DTI also received complaints regarding the operation of the two entities. The council also asked the DTI to speed-up its investigation and requested Balong to collate police blotter reports containing complaints regarding the operation of these groups. Council wants independent probe on trash slide The city council in its 32nd regular session presided over by Vice mayor Daniel Farias acted on 91 legislative matters. Together with invited department heads representing the executive department, the body had initial discussion for the allocation of the P93 million calamity fund relative to the trash slide and the damaged portion of the Irisan Controlled Dump Facility (ICDF). The specific projects and activities mentioned that need funding include the already accomplished trash removal at Km. 5 Asin Road, the ongoing clearing of scattered trash from the retaining wall downwards Asin area, the hauling of the piled trash from Purok 12 staging area to Capas Tarlac, the proposed new retaining wall, and other emergency purchases. While the body welcomed the instruction of the city mayor for the City Engineering Office to conduct investigation on the collapsed retaining wall, the council opted to invite other entities to participate in the investigation for a composite result that will ascertain the real contributory factors to the trash slide. Thus, through Resolution 303, s. 2011, the council calls for the conduct of an independent investigation on the Irisan trash slide to be headed by the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers. Invited guest Shane Balong, who said felt obligated to forewarn others of the ordeal she experienced, sought the assistance of the council for an appropriate action regarding the alleged deceptive scheme and illegal practices of the I-Home Enterprises in selling their products. Representatives of the Department of Trade and Industry-CAR confirmed that aside from Balongs complaint there are other similar complaints filed by several persons before their office against I-Home and other enterprises operating in the city particularly in the malls located along Session Road and Bokawkan Road. Hence, to protect the public consumers and in support to the complainants, the council directed the citys Permits and Licensing Division to conduct a fact-finding investigation on the alleged illegal and deceptive scheme being used in the promotion and sale of products of the following companies: a. I-Home Enterprises, b. Homesonic Appliance Center, and c. Hilton Marketing.

In a separate resolution, the body requested the DTI-CAR to fast track the hearing of all the complaints filed before its legal department involving I-Home Enterprises, Homesonic Appliance Center, and Hilton Marketing. Through Resolution 315, s. 2011, the council requested the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, through its Chairperson, Zenaida Brigida Pawid, to cause the resumption of the processing of ancestral land claims in the City of Baguio pursuant to NCIP en banc Resolution No. 090, s. 2009. It also requested NCIP to cause an investigation and to come up with a report not later than December 2011 on the Certificate of Land Titles that were issued in accordance to the requirements and processes provided for by Republic Act 8371 or The Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997. Said resolution, authored by Councilor Cosalan, stated that the resumption of the processing of ancestral land claims would give opportunity in coming up with definitive and objective reports on the issued calts to protect the welfare and interest of legitimate ancestral land claimants.